Roots
by NinjaNovelist
Summary: The story of how the operatives of our favorite sector joined the Kids Next Door. Told in Numbuh 5's POV
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Let's keep it old school; I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door**

**KND Archive Database**

**File 52.134: Origins of "The Sooper Sector V"**

**Transmitted by Numbuh 5**

As the KND Soopreme Leader, I get asked a lot of questions. Surprisingly, many of them involve not my new job here at the Moon Base, but my old one as a mere field operative of Sector V. They all ask the same question: What is it that made the Sooper Sector- as we were later nicknamed by fellow operatives- so great? Often times, they begin to reel out stories of our greatest achievements as well-experienced veterans.

However, Numbuh 5 believes that in order to answer this question, you must actually look to our very beginning, the root of the cause.

To me, it all began before the Sooper Sector even came to be. I was just starting out in the Kids Next Door, alongside Numbuhs 9, 8a, 8b, and my older sister, Numbuh 11.

But then, a certain mission involving chicken pox caused Numbuh 9 to leave the Sector in search of a cure, and 8a and 8b to give up their lives as field agents and work for the Global KND. So it was just me and my sis, which would've suited me just fine if it wasn't for the fact that her thirteenth birthday was coming up fast. Too fast, if you ask me.

Finally, with barely six months before her scheduled decommission, Numbuh 11 pulled me aside.

"Look Abby," she told me. "I know you've been avoiding this, but you gotta find some new teammates."

I sighed. I knew this would be coming eventually. "But Cree," I said. "It's just hard to think about you being gone from the KND. Forever."

Cree looked like she was about to cry (and, I admit, I was pretty close, too). But then her face hardened up into the authoritative Numbuh 11 I've known for so long.

"But facts are facts, Numbuh 5," she stated. "So unless you wanna spend the rest of your KND career as some sorry sap without anyone else in your sector, you need to get some kids into the Cadets Next Door for training."

When Cree uses my codename, it's a sure sign that she means business. No use arguing with her now.

"Okay, but I don't know where to even start looking for recruits," I complained.

Cree shrugged. "They could be anywhere: school, park, neighborhood. You just gotta keep you eyes open."

She licked her lips. "I'm up for a soda. You want one, sis?"

I rolled my eyes at her. When suddenly under an immense amount of pressure, I tend to lose my appetite.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." She turned to leave, but something made her stop.

"One more piece of advice, Abby," she said, leaning in close. "Don't just keep your eyes open, but also your mind. Not everyone is as they seem. You may be surprised at what a person can offer to the team." Then Cree walked out of the room.

For a few moments, I simply stared at the spot where my sister had just left. Then I turned and plopped myself onto the couch.

As her final gift, Numbuh 11 had given me my most challenging mission yet.

**So this is my first fanfic EVER! Here's how it's gonna go down: There's gonna be five chapters, one for each operative, and possibly an epilogue. I'll update every Saturday. Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Article 1: Uno, Nigel**

I guess you could say that school is kinda my thing. No, I am not one of those extra-extra credit doing, sci-fi movie watching, yipper card playing nerds with no life outside of academics, but school usually does keep me interested enough to make it through 'till three pm. But not always.

There was one day in particular when I felt as though the clock was refusing to move just so it could watch me suffer, while Mr. Fifer droned on and on about times tables or something.

I had good reason to not be paying attention, though. It had been nearly two months since Cree gave me my mission, and I hadn't found one kid eligible to join the Kids Next Door. It may have been a bit easier if I weren't so picky, but I needed teammates who had the skills to battle adult tyranny, yet were people I could put up with for the rest of my KND career. It was not an easy task.

Finally, the clock had mercy on my and allowed the bell to ring. I ran to my locker and was beginning to gather my things when _he _passed by. Nigel Uno.

He looked just like your basic heart throb from all the movies, complete with clothing of only the latest fashions, leather jacket, and a full head of sleek brown hair. The style fitted him well, for he was undeniably the most popular kid in the entire second grade. He walked in a way that showed he was far too confident in himself, with an attitude to match. Even so, everywhere he went he was surrounded by a mob of adoring fans, most of them girls who couldn't get enough of his British accent. Nigel put them to good use by having them constantly gelling, combing, and styling his hair so that it was always absolutely perfect.

Now, you could say that coolness is my thing, too, and I could tell that Nigel did not possess one ounce of it. But he sure was good at faking.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to packing, but to my surprise he came up to me, waving the crowd aside.

"Hey, Lincoln," he said. "You think you could help me with a little problem?"

I didn't even look up from what I was doing. "If you wanna talk business, Nigel," I said. "Then you call Numbuh 5 by her codename."

"You mean your silly little club of people squirting ketchup at each other? What's it called again...the Kids Next Block."

"It's Kids Next _Door_!" I snapped. When someone insults the KND, they insult me. I tried keeping my temper under control, but it took some effort. "Now what's this problem of yours?" I growled.

"One question," he answered. "Why don't you like me? Everyone else does."

I could have laughed. I should've known he would have asked such a stupid, self-centered question. I turned to face him. "If you must know," I said. "I'm not one to hang out with shallow jerks who are desperate to be liked, but can only get it through their big fancy hair."

Nigel gasped. "That's not true!" he screamed. Any miniscule amount of coolness was gone now.

"Oh please," I taunted. "You know, it takes more to be cool than a designer T-shirt. It's who you are as a person. Everything about you reeks of just a wanna-be. All that's missing is a pair of tacky sunglasses."

That was the last straw for Nigel. "I don't need some secret agent pretender telling ME that I'm a phony!" he yelled. He was about to leave, but couldn't pass up one last chance to pile on the drama. "You know what," he continued. "I don't need you KNDoofuses for anything!"

Then with a snap of his fingers, the mob reassembled themselves around Nigel as if they had been there the whole time. They were so tightly packed, all I could see of him as they retreated was his overdone hairdo.

I was so mad, I could barely even think. I was so furious, I thought my face would burn to a crisp. I was so angry, I didn't even notice a group of five children in stuffy uniforms approaching systematically as if they were one.

"Good afternoon, students of Gallagher Elementary," they stated in monotone unison. "We would greatly appreciate it if you would all evacuate the building immediately."

No one knows where they came from, or why they speak and act together. Even their individual names are a mystery. They are merely known as the Delightful Children From Down The Lane, one of the Kids Next Door's greatest enemies.

I quickly pulled a 2x4 weapon from my locker. They had my full attention now. "We go when we want to go, ya bunch of creeps, not when you tell us too," I said threateningly.

The Delightfuls smirked. "Very well, Abigail," they said. "Then we'll just have to force you out!"

Ice Cream Men minions suddenly appeared and began attacking. Chaos ensued, but I gave my all. Those guys are nothing when up against a KND Operative.

Somehow, between the screaming students and the flying scoops of rocky road, my eye caught onto two troops dragging a kid across the floor. It was none other than Nigel Uno.

When Nigel caught sight of me, he cried, "Help me, Numbuh 5!"

He even used my codename. That was how desperate he was.

I locked my eyes with his. It must have been just a moment, but it felt like centuries. Then I turned my back on him.

He said so himself that he didn't need the Kids Next Door, I reasoned. If he wanted help, his hairstyling posse could come to the rescue. Not me.

Within a few minutes, every one of the Ice Cream Men had fallen.

"Ha!" I shouted in triumph. "That's what you get for messing with the Kids Next..."

Then I stopped. The Delightful Children had disappeared.

I was utterly confused. As evil as the Delightfuls are, they never just randomly show up and attack for no reason. They always have a motive.

But what could that motive be? Apart from the chunks of mint chocolate chip plastered to the walls, there were no casualties. Everyone present at the time of the attack had emerged unscathed. Everyone except...

I felt as if my heart had just stopped beating. Except Nigel Uno. What the Delightful Children wanted with him, I had no idea, but my conscience told me I needed to find out.

With my KND instincts kicking in, I began to move down the hall in search of clues. When I had reached the end, I spotted one lone sneaker sitting in the middle of the left hall. It was part of the very same pair that Nigel had bragged about last week. Upon following to the end of that hall, its match was waiting for me, this time in the right hall. He had left me a trail with which to follow him.

"Numbuh 5 thinks Hairboy may not be as dumb as the way he dresses," I muttered with a slight smile.

For a while the pattern continued as I followed Nigel's various accessories this way and that. Finally, Nigel's trademark leather jacket rested underneath one of the most feared rooms in the entire building: the school laboratory.

Besides the science geeks, few are brave enough to enter the wild territory of experiments that at any moment could blow up in your face. Rumor has it that Eggbert Eggleston once tried hatching chicken eggs in there, and came out permanently shaped like one.

At first I was hesitant to go in, for fear of ending up with tentacles growing out of my head. But then I heard the screaming and pleading of Nigel from inside, then silence. So I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed my way through the door.

Once inside, I saw something that looked like a giant refrigerator, except all covered with dials and knobs. The two Ice Cream Men that had captured Nigel were operating the machine as the Delightfuls rubbed their hands greedily, protected by a plastic barrier.

"The process is nearly complete," they said. "Nothing can stop us now. Nothing!"

That was my cue. "Nothing except the Kids Next Door!"

Before the Delightfuls could react, I literally sprang into action, leaping between the two Ice Cream Men and banging their heads together. They were both out colder than the frozen treats they try to keep from children.

I quickly reached for the refrigerator's handle. "You're okay now, Nigel," I said as I opened the door. "In no time you're gonna be..."

Suddenly the words couldn't make it out of my mouth. An unconscious Nigel was propped up before me, looking exactly as he was when we had our discussion earlier, except for one tiny little difference. There was not a single hair left on his head.

"What did you do..." I asked incredulously. I turned to the Delightfuls, but they were no longer behind the plastic wall. They had just finished gathering from the machine a big ball of Nigel's hair.

The Delightfuls smirked in a way that made me want to punch all five of their guts at once (not that they never make me want to do that). "It is quite simple, really," they said. "We just lasered off all of Nigel's most lovely collection of hair."

Apparently it wasn't that simple, because I was still confused. "But why?" I asked.

The Delightfuls rolled their eyes. "Isn't it obvious? To take complete dominion over Gallagher Elementary!"

I simply continued to stare at them quizzically until the got the message of my continued ignorance. "You've seen for yourself the massive power popular children have. After much observing, we have discovered their secret: their perfect hair. So if we can obtain these luscious extensions of our heads, we too can be popular, and thus gain an army to do our bidding. And what better specimen for such an experiment than the most popular and beautifully equipped hair of Mister Uno?"

At these last few words they gestured toward the cell holding Nigel, or should I say, what had once held Nigel. It was now completely empty.

"What? How can that..." But the Delightfuls never got to finish that sentence. Nigel came out of nowhere and managed to knock all five bodies to the floor at once. In seconds I was at his side, gun pointed straight at them.

"Okay, Delightful Dorks," said Nigel in a commanding tone far different from his usual attempts at being smooth. "Hand over the hair ball, or be prepared to be squirted with more mustard then you'll ever see on any corn dog in your life."

Now that's something most normal people don't hear too often. But then again, anything involving the Kids Next Door can never be normal.

The Delightfuls began to squirm. "Corn dogs are far too... _childish_," they hissed, reaching for a remote a few feet away. Before I could stop them, they got a hold of it and pressed the button.

Various test tubes scattered around the room began to bubble and fizz, until they finally erupted. The chemicals all swirled together in the air, then landed on a piece of fungus in the middle of the room, causing it to grow into a living, breathing, gigantic beast.

A mold monster. Sure, why not?

I immediately switched my attention to the creature. The thing about the KND that people don't understand is that we don't win every battle. Sometimes you have to decide what's the biggest threat at the moment and what's not, so between a few kids with a blob of hair and a monster ready to destroy the school, it was easy to tell which was which.

As I battled the mold, I noticed Nigel staring as the Delightfuls made their escape. Suddenly, he grabbed a baster and a random test tube full of who knows what, filled the baster with the stuff, and fired it directly at the little brats.

It sailed across as if in slow motion, splattering all over Nigel's hair, and the Delightfuls along with it. The hair started to smolder, and then collapsed into a pile of ash.

"No, it cannot be!" cried the Delightfuls as they fruitlessly attempted to piece the pile back together. Then they saw Nigel, baster still in hand.

"You have foiled our plot!" they cried furiously. "You will pay for this, Nigel Uno, if it's the last thing we do!" Then they were gone.

By now, all that was left of the mold monster was some fungus debris littered across the room, splattered with mustard. I went over and stood by a disappointed looking Nigel.

"I had hoped that whatever happened to my hair would've happened to the Delightfuls, too," he said.

I patted him on the back. "Just wait," I assured him. "These experiments tend to have an after effect."

To confirm my suspicions, we heard a large boom, immediately followed by five simultaneous, monotone screams.

**~0~0~0~**

After our little adventure, I took Nigel to the Kids Next Door Hairstyle Headquarters. The doctors there tried every crazy tactics in the books, but it was no use. Nigel's perfect hair was gone for good.

Not long afterward, I paid Nigel a visit. But something about him caused me to not even recognize him at first.

"You wear glasses?" I asked in disbelief.

Nigel smiled, eyes shining underneath the new fashion statement. "I figured that since my popularity is pretty much guaranteed to be over, it couldn't hurt to sink my status a little lower."

Nigel gave a smirk. "Or maybe all my followers will shave their heads so they can be just like me."

I joined in with his laughter, but when it died down, it was quiet.

After a few awkward minutes, Nigel broke the silence. "Is it true that if my hair hadn't been incinerated, the doctors would've been able to reattach it to my head?"

"That's what they told me," I answered. "They said that they needed the original DNA of your hair so they could..."

Reality hit. "You knew that all along, and you still chose to destroy it?"

Nigel shrugged. "I knew we couldn't defeat the Delightful children and still keep my hair, so I figured that saving the school was just slightly more important."

I stared at him in wonder. The Nigel I thought I knew would've chosen the hairdo in a heartbeat. This kid was clearly not as selfish as I had made him out to be.

I lowered my head in shame. "If I had helped you right when you needed it, we could have saved both. I'm sorry."

Nigel shook his head. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's me. I shouldn't have treated you like that. I just cared so much about my own reputation, I never thought of anyone else's."

I sighed. I appreciated Nigel for trying to make me feel better, but I knew this would haunt me for the rest of my life.

More silence followed, giving me time to ponder on everything that's happened. Nigel certainly proved himself to be a master of quick thinking in dire situations, no matter how strange. That was a rare trait even within the KND.

I knew what had to be done. I turned and looked Nigel Uno straight in the eye, just as we had when he had called to me for help, and said the ten most fateful words I have ever spoken in my life.

"How would you like to join the Kids Next Door?"

The rest is history.

**Shout-out to nienerz for my first review in history! Thanks for the warning; I won't let you down. :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry that I'm a little late with this chapter. I was busy all day yesterday doing stage crew for my school play, and I was absolutely exhausted.**

**Article 2: Gilligan, Hoagie P.**

It had been about three weeks since my and Nigel's run-in with the Delightful Children. As soon as he was released from the hair hospital, I took Nigel to the KND Arctic Base for his entrance exam into the Cadets Next Door. He passed with flying colors; even Numbuh 274, the best operative in the whole KND, was impressed. But what made me even happier than that was the approval of my sister.

Despite things finally starting to go right, there was one downfall to it all: Nigel would not shut the heck up. Ever since his popularity went down the toilet, I became pretty much his only friend. As a result, he would spend every waking moment he could with me, constantly going off on tangents about all the new battle tactics he'd been learning. Not to mention that he would give a thorough description of every single unimportant detail in the book (literally; he kept his KND Handbook with him at all times). What he didn't seem to get was that I already knew all these things from my own training several months before.

Although it was enough to drive anyone crazy, I endured it because I knew Nigel's motormouth phase was just out of excitement. He would soon realize just how much he has to learn, and cease to be the Encyclopedia of stuff no one cares about. Even so, I was thankful that between Nigel's training and my hunt for recruits, we didn't see much of each other outside of school.

I was walking down the hall just before the start of classes when the last voice I wanted to hear at that moment rang throughout the room.

"Numbuh 5!" cried Nigel as he raced to catch up with me.

I grimaced. I had just completed a rough late-night mission, so I was in no mood to listen to Nigel's pointless facts.

Nevertheless, I faked a smile and turned towards him. "Hey, Nigel. I wish I could talk, but I really need to get to class before-"

"Did you know that when fighting a villain under the vegetable category, the best way to defeat him is to use candy-based weaponry?"

Actually, I did know. Shocker.

"That's great, but I really gotta-"

"Ooh, how about this one: Did you know that lemonade stands are actually stations to refuel beverage-powered vehicles?"

Did you know I was ready to pound his face in just then? I didn't even bother stopping him now. Better to just wait until he ran out of steam.

"Did you know..."

Nigel's rant was suddenly cut short when all the lights suddenly turned off. My first reaction was of gratitude that Nigel had finally shut his mouth, but then I became confused. What was happening?

That was when a blood-curling scream worthy of a horror movie filled the hall. Then the lights flickered back on.

At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then someone asked "Hey, where'd Muffy Jenkins go?"

Everyone looked all over, but the girl was nowhere to be found.

The search was interrupted by the screech of a kid motorcycle coming to a halt. Out stepped Joe Balooka, chief of the Safety Patrol, with the squad behind him.

"Back to class, people. Everything's under control." Joe said smoothly.

Everyone reluctantly returned to their respective classrooms, but Nigel and I moved in the opposite direction, towards the group of officers. Nigel was so ecstatic to be taking part in a real mission, he was shaking like a massage chair gone wild.

Joe scowled at the sight of us. "I told you, no civilians allowed at the crime scene."

"We're part of the Kids Next Door," I said simply.

The inspector did not appear to be impressed. "Are you trained?" he asked skeptically.

"More so than you," I retorted.

Joe was at first taken aback by this, but he was soon frowning again. "Suit yourself. Just don't get in our way."

I gave a glare to match Joe's. If anything, this kid's attitude was going to get in _my_ way.

The tense moment was suddenly broken by a kid bursting through the front doors. He was extremely chubby, with perhaps the dorkiest outfit I had ever seen clashing with an admittedly cool fedora upon his head. I could see tufts of auburn hair sticking sporadically out of the hat.

"Sorry I'm late," he panted. "But my English homework got blown away by the wind."

The patrol squad relaxed their stances at the sight of their friend. "Did you get it back?" one asked.

The boy grinned. "Oh yeah. It was a _breeze_." Then he doubled over into fits of laughter.

A pun-lover. As if my day hadn't been annoying enough already.

Joe's frown somehow managed to deepen even more. "We're at school, Gilligan," he said sternly. "This is no place to be worrying about homework!You have more important duties to think about. See to it that you don't forget them."

The nerd's smile faltered. "Yes, sir," he muttered, his gaze glued to the floor.

Joe simply grunted in response, then turned away to focus on the situation at hand.

When the kid finally looked up, his eyes caught sight of me. "Hi, I'm Hoagie." he said. "I'm Joe's partner-"

"Deputy," the chief corrected irritably.

"Deputy," Hoagie immediately agreed.

I nodded towards the "deputy". "Abigail Lincoln," I introduced myself. "Also known as Numbuh 5 of the Kids Next Door. And this is..."

That's when I noticed Nigel's look of complete shock, directed straight at the newcomer. "H-H-Hoagie?" he stuttered.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Nigel. That's what he just said his name was. Anyways-"

"Wait a second," interrupted Hoagie. His attention was now solely on the boy before him. "Nigel, as in Nigel Uno?"

The world seemed to come to a halt as the two boys stared at each other. After what seemed like forever, Hoagie finally made the first move.

"You've changed," Hoagie said simply.

He didn't need to explain himself any further. With Nigel's shift from fashionable it-boy to glasses-clad nobody, combined with his new, um... lack of hair, it was no wonder Hoagie had trouble recognizing him.

"You've changed,too," Nigel answered, scratching his bald head nervously. "Now you're... well, before you were more-"

"Skinny," finished Hoagie. Then he shrugged. "I had a bit of a past with chocolate sauce."

As an awkward silence ensued, I studied the two boys closely. Nigel's jittery excitement seemed to have been sucked right out of him, and Hoagie hadn't cracked a joke in several minutes. Whatever happened between them, it must have been pretty major for them to be acting so out of character. Guess Muffy Jenkin's disappearance wasn't the only mystery I would be investigating today.

"Okay, that wraps it up here," announce Joe. "Now spread out and search the area for clues."

Nigel and I looked slightly out of place as all the officers dispersed.

"Uh, what should we do?" Nigel asked.

Joe sighed heavily at the thought of putting even more effort into his job. "You two just... stick with Gilligan. He'll show you the ropes." Then he climbed back into his motorbike and sped away.

For a moment the three of us just stood around awkwardly. Then Nigel spoke up.

"Alright, let's get started. If you could give me a moment to skim through the preparatory section of my KND Handbook-"

"Not so fast, rookie," I said. "Cadets can't do missions until they graduate from the Academy."

Nigel was absolutely indignant. "What about when you recruited me?"

"That was in the case of an emergency," I explained. "If you don't believe me, check your _handbook."_

I like to think of myself as a pretty tough chick. But upon seeing the poor kid's crestfallen face, I couldn't help but soften a little. "Besides," I added. "We could use a lookout."

Nigel immediately perked up again. "Really?"

"Of course," I said as I handed him a 2x4 transmitter. "Be sure to keep us posted. I've got a feeling this disappearance won't be the last."

I turned to Hoagie. "You ready?"

The officer simply nodded, all to eager to get away from Nigel. In fact, it wasn't until the boy was out of sight that he began to loosen up; maybe a little too much, actually. He began to monologue.

"It's been a dreary day at Gallagher Elementary, made even more so with a mysterious disappearance," he began (was it just me, or did the coloring suddenly become more... muted?) "Muffy Jenkins, a sweet, pretty little thing, is gone. So now I'm walking with no one but one strong-willed dame by my side, in search of the answer to what became of her."

I had absolutely no idea how to respond to that.

Thankfully, a shrill ringing from my pocket interrupted the awkward silence (or at least awkward for me) that followed. I quickly pulled out my KND transmitter.

"Nigel, is that you?"

"Hey Numbuh 5," came the voice that confirmed my guess. "I've got news: Jo Shmo and Susie Cue are both gone. People are getting pretty worked up over this."

"Just tell them to stay calm," I instructed. "Good job, Nigel." Then I hung up.

"We need to work fast," I told Hoagie. "At this rate we'll be- WOAH!"

I had accidentally stepped on something on the ground, nearly causing me to slip. Upon further investigation, I found that the culprit was a small shovel.

"Well, somebody's sure got the _dirt_ on you, Abby," joked Hoagie, a stupid grin plastered on his face.

That did it for me. I slowly removed my hat, paused for dramatic effect, then used it to hit Hoagie with all my might. Then I sat back and watched as Hoagie screamed and writhed in pain for a few minutes.

"Wh-what was that for?" he asked, his voice settling for a whimper.

"If you must tell your stupid jokes, at least have them make sense," I said as I returned the hat to its rightful place.

Hoagie's poorly hidden sobs suddenly ceased. "Hey, this is Muffy's locker."

I sat up with interest. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Mine's just a few ones over." His eyes darted between the locker and the shovel in front of it. "Do you think the kidnapper _buried _Muffy?"

I face-palmed. For a geek, this kid could be pretty stupid.

"Hoagie, this is a _toy_ shovel," I said slowly. "Like the type kids use at the..." I paused as realization dawned on me. "At the beach."

I couldn't blame Hoagie for looking confused. "Why would a kidnapper take his captives to the beach?"

"Beats me," I said. "But it's the only lead we've got. The real problem is getting there."

Hoagie scanned the area until his eyes fell onto what was parked in front of the cafeteria. "I'm sure Joe won't mind if we borrow his motorcycle," he said, grinning.

"First of all, I'm sure that he _would_ mind," I said. "Secondly, the beach is an hour away by car. A little kiddie motorbike won't be fast enough."

"Leave that to me," assured Hoagie, already pulling a toolbox from his locker. "Mechanics is a bit of a hobby of mine. And as for Joe, he's doing interrogations in there, so he'll be a while. We'll have his precious bike back before he even knows it's gone."

I couldn't help but notice the sarcasm oozing from that last statement. "So, remind Numbuh 5 why you hang with Balooka if you don't think so highly of him."

Hoagie paused in the middle of his repairs so he could look at me. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, when he's around, you're afraid of him," I began. "And when he's not, you complain about him."

Hoagie tried to mask how bothered he was of my observations by diving back into the engine he was working on. "Joe and I have been on the force together since first grade. He's my friend."

"You call someone who pushes you around so he can feel superior a friend?" I asked.

The only reply I received was the sound of tightening screws.

It was at that moment I decided to start a conversation that was dying to get out of my mouth all day.

"Is that how you friendship with Nigel ended?"

Hoagie didn't see that one coming. "What? No, not at all." A smile suddenly began to tug on his lips. "We met in kindergarten. We were best friends, practically inseparable." The impending smile vanished as soon as it arrived. "But when we reached grade school, we got pulled in two different directions: me by the nerds, and Nigel by the cool kids. We haven't so much as seen each other for the past two years, so our friendship just... fell apart."

For the second time that day, Hoagie Gilligan had left me completely speechless.

As Hoagie worked, Nigel called again. "Sorry Numbuh 5, but I gotta make this quick: three more kids disappeared within the last five minutes. Everyone's going crazy. Teachers' ordered a lock down and everything. Hurry, Abby." Then the line went dead.

"Okay, that should do it," Hoagie announced. But the contraption he created was no longer just a vehicle. It was a work of art.

It was just like a regular motorbike, but with jet wings on either side. The engine was now three times its original size, with twin exhaust fumes protruding from the back.

I gratefully accepted the helmet he offered and climbed in behind him.

The moment we took off, I realized I was riding along with a natural pilot. Before I knew it, we were soaring above the clouds. I had never had such a thrilling ride in my life. The only thing that slightly dampened my spirits was a call from Nigel, saying that despite the lock down, one more kid had managed to get himself kidnapped.

In just twenty minutes, we had arrived at the beach.

"Now remember," I reminded Hoagie. "We're going to tear that place apart until those kids are found. Go as fast as... what in the world are you gaping at, Hoagie?

Rather than answer me, he simply spun me around to show me.

Right there, in plain sight, were six of the kids we had been looking for. They weren't bound and gagged, but just doing what kids normally do at the beach: swimming, tanning, playing in the sand. Even as we stood gawking at the sight, the final "victim" of the now-not-so mysterious disappearances joined the party.

"I don't think your plan is necessary now," Hoagie said needlessly.

My anger went to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore. I took the shovel that had been in my pocket, approached Muffy from behind, and dangled it in front of her face.

"Is this yours?" I asked sweetly.

Muffy gasped. "Yes it is!" She grabbed it and began to turn around. "I've been looking everywhere for... oh no."

"'Oh no' is right," I said. "Now, may I ask you all exactly why you faked being kidnapped?"

Jo Shmo shrugged. "We were playing hooky, that's all. People do it all the time, so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal," answered Hoagie as he came beside me. "Is that you turned the school into a madhouse. The entire Safety Patrol is out looking for you, just because you couldn't help but cut class for a day."

"Oh, lighten up," came Susie Cue's retort. "And as long as you're here, why don't you join us? Come on, live a little."

"Yeah, you might as well," said a voice from behind. "'Cause none of you will be alive once I'm through with you."

We all turned to find Joe Balooka, along with the entire Safety Patrol.

Please escort Miss Jenkins and her friends to quadtuple overtime detention," he ordered. "But leave Gilligan and Lincoln. I'd like to have a quick chat with them."

It wasn't long before the three of us were the only ones left on the beach. Joe stared us down, frown deep as ever, for over a minute before he finally spoke.

"After all we've been through, Hoagie," he began. "You still stabbed me in the back. You stole my motorcycle, and if Stewie hadn't tipped me off, or if I didn't see the trail of smoke you left behind, I would never have caught you in the very act of joining the enemy, and none of you would have received the justice you deserved."

I could barely believe my ears. Hoagie and I solved the mystery, and now Joe's framing us so he could take the credit. "You mean to say..." but I stopped when Hoagie raised his hand. I understood at once: this was his fight.

I decided to leave the two to sort things out. As I was walked along the shore, I noticed a small dot on the road, coming right towards me. The dot turned into Cree on her bike, with Nigel riding on the handlebars.

"Abby!" cried my sister. "Nigel told me what happened at school. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, sis," I said. But then I noticed a certain chubby inspector coming towards us. Alone.

When Hoagie reached us, the story quickly came out. "I've got good news and bad news," he said. "Joe decided not to 'press charges' against us." He rolled his eyes heavily at that. "But I'm off the force."

"I'm sorry Hoagie," I said. And I meant it. "I didn't think Joe would fire you."

"He didn't; I quit the force. I told him I didn't want to work for an organization in which I do the work, and he gets all the glory."

Nigel looked confused. "Then how's that bad news?"

"The only reason I stayed with the force for so long is that I liked helping kids. Where else could I do that?"

The three of us exchanged glances. Then Nigel approached his old friend and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You could join the Kids Next Door."

Hoagie's sullen face lit up. "You mean that?"

"Absolutely," the bald boy replied. "You could come into my class at the Cadets Next Door. It'll give us the perfect chance to get to know each other again."

I don't think I've ever seen Hoagie's smile bigger than it was at that moment.

Cree decided to speak up. "The great thing about the CND is that no matter when you first start, the exam day is the same for everyone. You could end up graduating together, and before I turn thirteen."

Hoagie probably didn't hear a word she said. He was too busy staring at her, eyes as wide as golf balls. Unfortunately for the rest of us, he regained his composure just enough to start flirting her up.

"That sounds perfect," he said as he tried (and failed) to sound cool. "In the meantime, how'd you like to come over to my place and play some yipper cards?"

I rolled my eyes, while Cree looked greatly disturbed. "We gotta go, Abby," she said, hopping back onto her bike at a rapid pace. "Need a ride, Nigel?"

"That's okay," he responded. "Hoagie and I have two years worth of catch-up time to do."

After I had situated myself onto Cree's handlebars, I sent Hoagie a salute.

"See you around, Cadet," I said.

As we rode away, my ears caught onto one last thing being called out after me.

"I hope the Kids Next Door has a stove. 'Cause once I get there, I'll be _cookin' _it!"

I'll never admit this to him, but upon hearing that last, corny line, I just couldn't help but smile.


	4. Chapter 3

**Okay, backstory time! Way back in the show's hay-day, I was in about first grade. Numbuh 3 had always been my favorite character, and even now I still have a soft spot for her. So this chapter has a special place in my heart. Hope you like it! **

**Article 3: Sanban, Kuki**

After a long, particularly obnoxious mission against the Toilenator, Cree and I decided to take an evening walk to clear our heads.

"So, Numbuh 5, how's the recruit mission coming?" my sister asked.

I sighed. "Nigel and Hoagie are doing great at the Academy,:" I said. "But the hard part is getting kids to join the CND in the first place."

"Well, it's been over a month and a half since Hoagie joined, so you'd better pick up the pace." Cree thought for a moment. "Are there any girls you're considering?"

"Why girls?" I asked curiously.

"Think about it," she explained. "Remember when Maurice and the twins were on the team? I loved them all to death, but they were still boys, and honestly, boys can be stupid. If I didn't have another girl with me, I probably would've gone insane."

"That's true," I reflected. Then I made a face. "But all the girls I know are too prissy to handle so much as getting dirt under their nails."

Cree laughed. "Well, there's gotta be some good ones out there. The two of are living proof that there are at least a few girls who aren't afraid to get down and dirty."

I grinned at her. By this time we were passing the playground.

"Hmm," Cree grunted as she surveyed the area. "Like how about that one?"

My eyes followed from her finger to what it was pointing at: a girl playing on the swings. She wore a green sweater so big that the sleeves completely covered her hands, with raven black hair pulled back into pigtails.***** Despite her being several yards away, her smile could still be seen plain as day.

"_Kuki Sanban_?" I asked in disbelief. Then I started laughing so hard, my side began to hurt.

Cree didn't appear to get the joke. "Why not?"

I controlled myself just long enough to answer. "Cree, Kuki is by far the girliest airhead of them all. She probably has more Rainbow Monkeys than Hoagie has Yipper Cards."

When we looked a bit closer, we could indeed make out one of her beloved toys "swinging" next to her.

"What's wrong with that?" Cree asked with a smirk. "If I recall correctly, you've got a couple of em' stashed in your closet."

"That's different," I argued, my dark skin acquiring a slightly pink tint. "Those were from when I was like three. Besides, playing is one thing. Worshiping is another. And the Monkeys aren't the only problem. She never stops smiling. No one ever wants to play with her."

Sure enough, although the playground was full of kids, the stuffed animal was Kuki's only companion. Even as we watched, a group of kids playing tag veered around her as though she was inside some gihoogic force field. But the girl didn't seem to mind; either that, or she was too far in her own little world to notice.

Suddenly, Kuki realized that we were staring at her and snapped out of her trance (most likely filled with meadows of sunshine and bunny rabbits).

"Hi, Abby!" she cried cheerfully. Kuki leaped off the swing, and after daintily landing on her toes, she grabbed her Rainbow Monkey and raced towards us.

"My name's Kuki, what's yours?" she asked, waving wildly at my sister.

Cree seemed unsure how to respond to such an enthusiastic greeting. "Uh, it's Cree. I'm Abby's older sister."

Kuki gasped dramatically. "That's so funny! I'm a big sister, too, and she's sooooooo cute! I just know we're gonna be the bestiest best friends ever. When she gets older, I'm gonna show her all my Rainbow Monkeys, maybe even get her one of her very own. I think everyone should have a Rainbow Monkey because they're just so huggable, and lovable, and spread the bee-yoo-tee-ful message of sharing and caringness! Do you have any?"

The more Kuki talked, the more Cree seemed to suffocate under her extreme level of sweetness. I knew that since she went to Junior High, she's had her fair share of ditzy girls, but I doubt any of them come even close in comparison to this chick.

"That's... nice," said Cree, choosing to ignore Kuki's question. "But I gotta go. I need to give a status report on the mission to Numbuh 100."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "You did that just before we left, Cree."

"Well... I have to do it again. Have fun with your new friend, Abby." Then she took off before I could argue any further.

I reluctantly turned to face the airhead, who was staring at me expectantly.

"So..." I began. To my relief, my 2x4 transmitter rang before I was forced to find a way to complete the statement.

"Talk to me," I said, maybe a little bit desperately.

"Oh, hey Numbuh 5," Hoagie greeted casually. He didn't fool me for a second.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"What? No way," came his squeaky, high-pitched reply. "I just called to say that WE'RE BEING ATTACKED! You need to come to the Arctic Base right now before we die slow, painful deaths! I bet he's gonna roast us one by one over a spit fire-"

"Oh, give me that!" came a distant British voice. When he spoke again, it was clear he had gained control of the transmitter over the panicked American. "We got trouble, Numbuh 5," said Nigel. "The Vegetarian escaped from his cell."

"Are you kidding me?" I cried. "Cree and I just got him in there last week."

"Well, the point is he's not there now," Nigel replied, slightly irritated. "You're the only sector who can handle this guy. So you need to be here ASANow."

It's a good thing Nigel grew out of his annoying new recruit phase so he could act as the voice of reason among all the chaos (mostly caused by Hoagie, no doubt). "On my way," I said. Then I ended the transmission.

"Gotta go, Kuki," I said quickly, making a beeline towards the nearest fire hydrant. There was no time to return to the tree house and get Cree, so desperate times called for desperate measures.

When I had reached the hydrant, I unscrewed the cap and pressed the button that lay underneath. It immediately uprooted itself from the street, along with a labyrinth of pipes that lay beneath it, and neatly folded itself into a flying scooter.******

In moments I had strapped on my helmet- the hydrant cap- and took off, the water from the pipes propelling me to the South Pole.

As I rode, I planned out the strategy for my re-match with the Vegetarian. As the name suggests, his crimes involve forcing vegetables down kids' throats. He arrives at dinnertime at makes them eat every single scrap, with absolutely no hope for dessert until the plate is licked clean. What's worse, he'll replace _good_ meals, like pizza or hamburgers, with the most boring, healthy dishes imaginable.

The thing that makes him so tough to beat is that a simple blast of gumballs isn't enough to take him down. He has the ability to actually transform marshmallows into cauliflower, peppermint sticks into green beans. What you need is candy so sugary, no veggie in the world can remove its sweetness. But something that rare can only be obtained, and used effectively, by a candy specialist like myself.

In no time I had reached the icy wastelands of Antarctica: completely vacant except for penguins, the occasional seal, and a giant underground (or should I say, under-ice) headquarters for a kid-powered secret organization.

The scooter hadn't even fully powered down when I leaped out, weapon in hand, and darted inside. The moment I passed through the entrance doors, I was met by complete pandemonium.

Right in the center of the room was the Vegetarian, sending vegetables every which way. He had this evil glint in his eye that would be quite frightening, except one aspect of him takes away any hint of terror from his being.

Oh, did I forget to mention that he's dressed up as a gigantic piece of broccoli?

While there were a few kids bravely putting up a fight, most were either buried under mountains of veggies or running for their lives. I spotted Hoagie huddled in a corner, rocking back and forth between hysterical cries. Poor kid. The first battle's the hardest, and it doesn't help that, being a big sweet-lover, he's being threatened with healthy alternatives.

"Numbuh 5, over here!" cried Nigel from across the room, just before dropping to a roll to avoid a sudden blast of asparagus.

"Not bad, brat," growled the Vegetarian. "But all it takes is one dose of my veggies to protect you from obesity and heart disease!" And with that, he sent a truckload's worth of brussel sprouts heading Nigel's way.

As I raced to back him up, I began loading my weapon with stick after stick of sugarcane, picked straight from the fields of Sector B in Brazil.

"All right, time to bring out the big guns, baby!" I shouted, aiming right at the Vegetarian's head.

But my fingers had not so much as grazed the trigger when I was interrupted by a certain perky, Japanese, stuffed monkey-brandishing child.

"Hi everybody!" cried Kuki.

It's amazing how in just moments, one little girl can bring a full-blown battle to a complete stand-still.

Both Nigel and Hoagie were staring at me incredulously. I knew they thought I was out of my mind for letting Kuki tag along on a mission, and to a KND secret headquarters, no less.

"Kuki, how the heck did you find this place?" I asked. I made sure to give off the impression that I took no part in her being here.

"My Kicks-and-Giggles Rainbow Monkey and I rode in the VIP area of your cool motor-bike-thingy" (in other words, she snuck into the trunk). "Is there a party going on? Because I just love parties! Can I join, please, please, ple-"

Kuki's incessant begging was suddenly cut short when the Vegetarian grabbed her. Before anyone could move, her hands, feet, and waist were strapped into a chair by onion roots.

For the first time since I met her, there was not a hint of a smile upon Kuki Sanban's face.

"Well, now that one of you has been taken care of," said the Vegetarian as he pushed a small table in front of his new prisoner. "We can get down to business."

I quickly scanned my surroundings to take in the status of the situation. The few operatives who had managed to remain standing had now scattered, leaving only Hoagie, Nigel, and myself.

I turned back to the Vegetarian, who was unloading supplies from a sack. I had absolutely no idea what he was up to, so I decided to just wait and see what he was planning before taking action.

Unfortunately, my other comrades did not come to the same conclusion.

"Don't worry, Kuki," Nigel declared, puffing out his chest like a peacock as Hoagie flexed his imaginary muscles. "We shall save you from your distress."

Then, both releasing ear-splitting war cries, the two charged. The Vegetarian didn't even look up from what he was doing as he blasted them with a round of steaming hot potatoes. The knights in shining armor collapsed on top of each other in a smoldering heap.

After shaking my head at that pitiful display of heroics, I locked eyes with Kuki. As terrified as she must be, she managed a small smile as she rolled her eyes at the boys. I was shocked to discover that for a moment, those dark eyes betrayed a hidden layer of... intelligence.

It wasn't long before the Vegetarian's masterpiece was complete. He set a plate of pea soup, steamed parsnips, and meatless (of course) meatloaf before the captive.

"Voilà!" he exclaimed in the worst French accent I had ever heard. "Bon appétit."

"No!" Kuki cried defiantly, turning her nose up from the horrible dish. Spoken like a true kid.

"Did I say you had a choice?" the Vegetarian snarled. "You'll be setting an example to all the other snot-nosed brats of the world. So you will eat, and you will like it."

He gestured towards me. "Unless you'd like to watch your friend get fried like the others."

My hand instinctively went to my side where I keep my 2x4 weapon, only to find nothing but air. That's when I remembered dropping my it when I rushed to rescue Kuki. I knew full well that if I tried to run back and get it, the Vegetarian would have me toasted faster than a slice of bread.

One glance at her and I knew Kuki had realized this, too. "Okay," she said timidly.

The Vegetarian grinned evilly. "Excellent," he said as he undid the binds on Kuki's hands. He handed her a set of silverware.

Kuki tentatively tapped her fork against the meatloaf. It was rock solid. She eventually managed to pry a piece out, but for a full minute she just stared at it, wondering if she dared to eat it. Finally, she gave one last, nervous gulp and shoved the food into her mouth.

If just the sight of Kuki chewing that disgusting meal was enough to make me gag, I can't imagine what she had to do to keep it from coming back up. Every bite must have been pure agony, but eventually she swallowed the last drop of fat free soy milk.

I could tell that the Vegetarian didn't expect her to finish. Most can barely even survive the first bite. "Well then... I guess I'll go get your dessert."

I saw some excitement making its way back onto Kuki's face, and I knew why. The hope of dessert is the light at the end of the tunnel that gets a kid through dinner.

The Vegetarian pulled a covered bowl from his bag and set it on the table. Kuki eagerly tore off the top to find a strange, white, creamy substance inside. Small chunks of every vegetable I could think of could be seen floating around in it. It was veggie pudding.

I witnessed a drastic change suddenly go through Kuki. Her face turned redder than the Vegetarian's beets, her teeth sharpened to a fine point, , and her eyes ignited with a vicious fire (with actual flames involved). With a strength I had formerly thought of as not humanly possible, she broke through the binds that held her and pounced onto the Vegetarian's face.

I'll spare you the gruesome details of the onslaught that followed. Honestly, I wish I could've spared myself from watching it. All you need to know is that by the time it was over, the Vegetarian was left curled up in the fetal position, telling himself to find his happy place.

I quickly dragged the villain to one side of the room and handcuffed him to a pole, though I don't think he would've gone anywhere anyway. The KND can deal with him later.

Once I had returned, Kuki and I helped the boys to their feet. Both Hoagie and Nigel were gaping at Kuki the entire time.

As for me, I merely smiled at her. "Come on, girl," I said. "Let's get you home."

**~0~0~0~**

Nobody said a word on the ride back. Kuki was still recovering from everything that had happened to her, while the rest of us were attempting to wrap our heads around this new side to the girl.

It was nightfall by the time we returned to the playground, so it was decided to walk Kuki home. By then, she had reverted back to her happy old self.

"That was so much fun!" she announced. "I just can't wait to get back to Cuddlemuffins, Sweetykins, oh, and Mr. Mopsey, too. I'm gonna tell them all about how-"

Suddenly, Kuki stopped in her tracks, her smile gone in an instant. A very serious looking couple were standing in the doorway of a house, glaring straight at Kuki. The only sign of cheerfulness came from the toddler in the woman's arms, who did not appear to notice her parent's somber attitudes as she smiled and waved. It took several moments for me to realize that they must be Kuki's family.

The Japanese girl turned to us. "I have to go," she said reluctantly.

She was about to leave when I suddenly grabbed her arm.

"I almost forgot," I said as I pulled something out of my backpack. "You dropped this at the Arctic Base."

It was Kuki's Kicks-and-Giggles Rainbow Monkey. As she took the stuffed animal and clutched it to her chest, her smile began to rekindle itself a bit.

"Thanks," she said. After a moment's hesitation, she quickly pulled me into a hug. "For everything."

Then, all former fear melting away, she walked directly into her home.

"Well," Nigel said awkwardly as we began to head back. "Today was quite...interesting."

I said nothing, only sighed as I nonchalantly stuck my hands in my pockets. But to my surprise, I found a crumpled up piece of paper inside.

"Hey guys, check this out," I said. The two boys gathered on either side of me as I read the paper out loud:

_Dear Nigel, Hoagie, and Abby,_

_I'll remember this day for a long time to come, and it's not because of my kidnapping. Today I felt like I had actual friends, and I don't want this feeling to end. Please consider allowing me to join the Kids Next Door._

_-Kuki_

"She must have slipped it into your pocket while she was hugging you," Hoagie said.

I sat down on a nearby park bench so I could go through my options. It was obvious that Kuki wasn't the total airhead I once thought she was, but I just couldn't figure out why she would pretend to be one.

My thoughts turned to her parents: so strict, so different from their daughter. Then I remembered how a simple Rainbow Monkey gave Kuki the strength to face them. Maybe she thought having a constantly cheerful disposition would stop her from growing up to become like the people who raised her.

Kicks and Giggles. That's what the two sides of Kuki consist of: her perkiness, and her fierceness.

Hoagie and Nigel waited patiently for me to come to my decision. To answer them, I pulled out my transmitter and dialed a number.

"Hello, Numbuh 60?" I asked. "This is Numbuh Five of Sector V. I have a new student for you.

**~0~0~0~**

In case any of you were wondering, here's what became of the Vegetarian.

The KND scientists performed a series of tests, and declared him to be emotionally unstable. He was sent to a crazy house for a number of years, and even after he was released, he didn't dare try any villainous behavior. The moral of the story: never underestimate Kuki Sanban.

*** Kuki's appearance is based on the flashback sequences in Operation HOME.**

**** I pictured the fire-hydrant scooter to look similar to the speeder bikes in the chase scene of _Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi_.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Article 4: Beatles, Wallabee**

One month. That's all the time Cree has left before she gets decommissioned. She's been part of the KND for as long as I can remember, and I just can't picture her being anywhere but by my side as we battle adult tyranny together.

But at least I managed to carry out her final request to find new teammates. It wouldn't be very long before Nigel, Hoagie, and Kuki's final exam into the Kids Next Door.

The four of us had begun hanging out with each other over the weeks, and I found that we balance each other out perfectly. There's an equal ratio not only between boys and girls, but also craziness and sanity. Yes, four is enough.

The bell had just rung, ending History class for the day. Nigel and I were first out of the room as we rushed to the cafeteria, where we had planned to meet up with Hoagie and Kuki.

Suddenly a piercing, anguished cry reverberated throughout the hall. The sound could only have had one source: a kid in trouble.

All it took was one look at each other for us to immediately drop everything and bolt towards where the sound was coming from.

We soon came upon a large ring of students, engrossed in whatever was happening within. When we had pushed our way through, we found a boy I had never met before being tormented by none other than the Six-Gum Gang.

These five buckaroos- with their tall cowboy hats, stirrup boots, and bubblegum pistols- are one of the toughest group of kids in the school. They can be very useful allies, to whoever gives them the right price. While between jobs, however, they like to occupy their time bullying other students.

"I believe this here youngin' could use a little roughin' around, huh Lunk?" laughed Runt as he pushed their victim towards the biggest member of the clan.

Runt was the smallest, but also the most intelligent. This made him best fit to lead the group.

I was just about to put an end to this cruel game of catch, but Nigel beat me to it.

"Hey!" he cried as he intercepted the pass between Lunk and Wilbur. Nigel turned to Runt. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

Runt raised an eyebrow. "He _is_ my size, ya dim-witted Brit."

It was true. If runt was to remove his large cowboy hat, the bully would be about the same height as the bullied.

"Um, well..." Nigel glanced nervously at me, to which I gave an encouraging nod. I wanted to see what he could do.

"That's not the point," he retaliated, his confidence beginning to build. "One ordinary kid obviously can't handle five at once, and you're taking advantage of that. Now, I highly recommend the whole lot of you to just move along. Unless you wanna answer to me."

Word had gotten around that Nigel and the others were in training for the KND. And if there's one thing you don't cross with, it's a Kids Next Door operative.

Runt's eyes were shooting daggers. "Fine," he relented bitterly. "We got what we wanted anyhow."

And so Runt sauntered off, with the rest of the gang trailing behind. But not before defiantly spitting a wad of gum out at Nigel's feet.

"Not too bad," I said to him as the crowd dispersed. But then I noticed the little boy, still not moving from his spot against the wall. He appeared unsure that the Six-Gum Gang would leave him alone.

I turned to Nigel. "I can take over from here," I told him. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up as soon as I can."

After Nigel left, I approached the boy and knelt down beside him. He flinched as a reflex, but when he saw that I wasn't the gang, he relaxed a little.

For the first time, I got the chance to get a good look at him. He had blond hair cut in a bowl-style, with long bangs that covered his eyes. He wore an orange hoodie, jeans, and a pair of white sneakers. And I wasn't kidding about his size. He was such a small fry that he could probably be sold in a Happy Meal. No wonder Runt and his clan targeted him so quickly.

"You okay, kid?" I asked him.

The boy shrugged in an attempt to hide how shook up he was. "As much as someone who almost got beat up can be." He voice was thick with an Australian accent.

"First day here?" I questioned.

"Yep. Just moved in with my folks."

"What grade are you in, preschool?"

I saw his eyes for the first time as he looked up at me. "No, second."

Oh.

I rose to my feet, then helped the boy to his own "C'mon, uh..."

"Wally," he finished. "Wally Beatles."

"Abby Lincoln," I replied. "Anyways, I'll show you to the lunchroom."

We had barely walked a few steps when Wally stopped dead in his tracks.

"Aw, CRUD!" he yelled.

His exclamation made me freeze as well. It seemed so strange to hear such a colorful word coming out of the mouth of someone so small and weak.

"What's the problem?" I asked.

"My lunch money's gone," he cried. " My mom gave me ten whole dollars."

And I had a sneaking suspicion as to who took it.

I grabbed Wally's arm and led him down the hall. "Then we'll just have to get it back," I answered.

I took Wally to the Six-Gum Gang's favorite hang-out spot, over by the water fountain. Sure enough, they were all there, talking and laughing together. But that all ceased as soon as we came into view.

For what seemed like forever, we all just stared at each other. Then Runt grinned.

"Well, we'd better get a move on, fellas," he declared as he leaped onto his rocket-horse. In moments, they were all gone. Well, almost all of them.

Goof was making his escape when he realized he was going in the wrong direction: towards us instead of away. He tried to amend his mistake, but only achieved in tripping on his own feet. My 2x4 gun was trained on him in a nanosecond.

"Pat him down, Wally," I commanded.

The Aussie reluctantly approached one of his previous tormentors and searched his body for the missing money.

"All I found was twenty-q cents," he said.

I glanced at the coins in his hand. "That's forty, Wally."

"Even worse," he complained.

I thought for a moment. "The gang must have split the money between the five of them, so that if one gets caught they don't forfeit the whole wad."

"So we have to go hunt the other eight down?" Wally asked.

I stared at him. "Five minus one is... never mind. But yes, we'll have to take care of the others if you want your ten bucks back."

"I sure do," said Wally. "Mom'll kill me if I don't give her back the exact change."

I checked my watch. "We need to make this quick. Lunch will be over in half an hour."

We searched hall after hall as rapidly as we could. I was moving so fast, it wasn't until I had skidded to a stop in the sixth hall that I realized Wally wasn't with me. He must have lost me sometime during the chase.

Suddenly I found that I wasn't alone. Lunk had lumbered into the hall and caught sight of me. He smiled in a strange way, one in which I couldn't understand its meaning.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted with a wink.

So that's what it meant.

I gave him an icy glare. "Come on now, don't be like that," he said as he came towards me. "Why don't you just-"

Lunk was interrupted by a door opening into his face as Wally stepped into the hall.

"Nice work, Wally!" I congratulated.

He looked down onto the unconscious lump as though seeing it for the first time. "Er... right. I meant to do that."

I checked Lunk's pockets. "Well, now we've come to a grand total of one dollar. But Goof and Lunk are the two easiest members of the gang to defeat. Chances are the harder it is to take them on, the more money they'll have."

We resumed our search, which eventually brought us to the gym. There we were met by Wilbur as he casually leaned against a basketball hoop.

"Fancy meetin' you two here," he said with a smirk. He stood up and began walking toward us.

With each step Wilbur took, Wally countered with a step back. At last he couldn't take it and turned to run, only to find Dixie waiting on the opposite side.

"Where do you think you're going, honey?" she asked. Her voice was sweet, but with a malicious edge to it.

The two of them slowly began closing the gap between them and us. Wally and I stood back-to-back as they pulled out their bubblegum shooters.

"What do we do?" Wally whispered nervously.

"Just sit tight," I replied. "Numbuh 5 has a plan."

By now, Wilbur and Dixie had come to a halt, each only a few feet away from us. Time froze for a moment, broken only when the two simultaneously fired.

I waited until the last possible second to grab Wally and leap out of the way. The two gum wads sailed past one another and lodged themselves into the heads of the opposite partners in crime.

Wally and I each searched one of the fallen comrades. We found two bucks a piece, bringing the count up to five.

"All that's left now is Runt," I said. "He must have the rest."

Wally groaned. "But we've already searched practically the whole school, and we have less than fifty-eight-"

"Fifteen," I corrected.

"Fifteen more minutes until lunch is over. Where else could Runt be?"

That's when it clicked. I grabbed Wally and dragged him out of the gym. "He'll be at a place where he can spend the money."

Sure enough, we caught Runt just outside of the cafeteria as he was stepping off of his rocket horse.

I was surprised to find him smiling, as if he had been expecting us. "I reckon you got a hold of the others' money?" he asked.

All I gave in answer was a curt nod.

"Perfect," he said. "Then taking all the loot for myself will be that much easier."

And so Runt attacked.

He wasn't nearly as easy to beat as I had initially expected. His tiny frame moved in quick, fluid movements, making him a very difficult target to catch. But as we continued to fight, I noticed that his movements began to slow more and more as he wore himself out.

I took this as an opportunity to close in on him, ready to deliver the final blow. But just as I was about to do so, Runt popped a bubble right in my face. I barely had time to rub the sweet residue from my eyes when I was pushed into the wall.

My head made contact with the very solid brick, and I slumped to the ground. When I tried to get up, the world began to spin and stars danced across my eyes, forcing me back down.

Runt grinned in triumph. "Now if you don't mind," he said smugly. "I'll be takin' that cash..."

But before he could take even one step, a voice cried out that made Runt come up short.

"Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

Up to this point, Wally had been attempting to blend in with the surrounding lockers, hoping to go unnoticed by the bully. Now, drawing himself up to his full height of three feet, he looked ready to take on the world.

Runt laughed heartlessly. "This comin' from the kid we tossed around like a football just this morning? You'd find yourself in the nurse's office before your little brain could process what had happened."

"Try me," Wally challenged with narrowed eyes. "Unless you're too big of a wuss to fight without your gang to back you up."

This insult hit home to Runt. "Fine then," he spat. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

And with that, they lunged at one another.

I didn't think two boys so small could fight so viciously. They were extremely well matched, so it felt as though they had been at it forever when Wally did something that gave him the upper hand.

I have never seen a punch so perfectly executed, hitting Runt directly under his chin. He dropped to the floor like a rock. In moments, Wally landed on top of him and pinned both arms to the ground.

"Now then," he said in a way that insinuated he was enjoying himself a little too much." Hand over the lunch money."

With shaky hands, Runt passed him the bill.

"Thank you," Wally said false gratitude. Then he grabbed the boy and chucked him across the hall. "Now get."

Runt hastily climbed back onto his mechanic horse and sped away.

Wally then turned towards me and helped me up. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," I answered. I decided to take this moment to study him more closely.

Nigel, Hoagie, and Kuki are all excellent fighters, but Wally's actions made me realize that they often lack a certain kind of fire that's sometimes necessary in order to accomplish something. A sudden, almost crazy idea entered my mind.

I casually slung an arm around Wally's shoulders. "Let's get you to lunch," I said. "There's a few people I want you to meet."

**~0~0~0~**

I didn't realize how hungry I was until the terrible, yet also wonderful, smell of sloppy joe's reached my nose. We darted over to the cafeteria line (where Wally proudly handed his money over to the lunck lady). As we loaded up our trays, I filled him in on who the Kids Next Door are and what we do.

"Where were you, Abby?" asked Hoagie as we approached our usual table. "Lunch is almost over."

"We had a bit of a... detour," I said, smiling at the blonde newcomer. "Wally, I'd like you to meet Cadets Hoagie, Nigel, and Kuki."

I was perplexed when I saw a mixture of confusion and disgust suddenly form on Wally's face. He quickly pulled me aside.

"What's _she_ doing here?" he asked, indicating his head towards the perky Japanese one.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said accusingly.

"Well she's... she's a girl!" he cried.

I rolled my eyes. "It's called the _Kids _Next Door," I explained. "That includes girls. Besides, what did you think I was, a dog or something?"

Wally wisely chose to avoid my question.

"How do you expect some stupid girly-girl to do all those things you just told me about?" he asked. "Especially with that cruddy Rainbow Monkey!"

He threw his hands up in exasperation at those last few words, only he forgot that he was still holding his lunch tray. Wally could only look on in horror as the food he had worked so hard to gain sailed through the air, ready to crash.

Suddenly, Kuki tossed her "cruddy" Rainbow Monkey up in the air as she leaped into a back handspring. Her foot prevented the meal from falling to the floor as she pushed it upwards, and once she had landed back on her feet, she caught Wally's tray in one hand and her stuffed animal in the other. The food still remained undisturbed.

Wally's eyes looked as though they were going to pop out of his head as Kuki handed him back his tray.

"Nice to meet you, Wally," she greeted, cheeks a little rosier than usual.

It took a second for the small boy to remember that he possessed the ability to speak. "N-n-nice to meet you, too," he stammered.

Then he stumbled after the girl, making sure to claim the seat next to her's

As I walked over to my own seat, I exchanged a glance with Hoagie. His face broke into a wide, mischievous smirk, and I felt my own expression doing the same. We both knew that this little romance would lead to many excellent opportunities of teasing in the future.

**Only one chapter to go! This one won't be so much about how Abby came to join the KND (although I may include a little bit of a backstory for her). It'll be more like a concluding adventure. Stay tuned!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Article 5: Lincoln, Abigail**

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop myself from pacing in front of the doors that held the Kids Next Door Entrance Exam within

Cree's thirteenth birthday was just under a week away. What would I do if they didn't pass?

But there was one thing that bothered me even more: what would I do if they _did _pass?

As the member who had been an operative the longest, it's my responsibility to take over as sector leader. But for as long as I could remember, that position had belonged only to Numbuh 11.

I could recall of times when I was little, no more than three or four years old, watching my sister as she left the house for missions. Back then she seemed like a superhero, racing around and saving kids from their sufferings.

I could already tell by the way my recruits looked at me that they held that same mentality of me as I did of Cree. But I couldn't even imagine how I could ever replace her.

Just then the doors burst open, cutting off my anxious train of thought, and a few greatly excited kids spilled out of them.

"We passed!" cried an ecstatic Kuki as she shook me wildly by the shoulders. "We're going to be Kids Next Door operatives!"

I had never felt so relieved. "That's great!" I exclaimed, giving Kuki a hug and exchanging a round of high-fives with Hoagie and Wally. Then I realized someone was missing. "Hey, where's Nigel?"

The smiles on all three immediately fell. "He's back there," Hoagie stated somberly, pointing through the doors.

Moments later, Nigel walked in, his face just as grim as the others.

I was almost too afraid to ask the question, but I voiced it anyway. "Well?"

Nigel only shook his head.

No. It couldn't be true.

The others were all great at combat, but there was something special about Nigel. He knew how to strategize, yes, but even more important then that was his utter devotion towards the Kids Next Door.

I looked at Wally, then Kuki, then Hoagie. No one was really sure of what to say, but as future sector leader, I knew that they expected me to be the one to offer words of comfort.

"Listen, Nigel..." I started, but it was too late.

Nigel had already walked away.

~**0~0~0~**

The following day, hundreds of kids sat in the assembly room of the KND Moon Base, waiting for the graduation ceremony to commence.

As far as I was from the stage, I could still make out three blobs of green, orange, and light blue. I only wished a red one could have joined them.

Speaking of which, I couldn't find a hint of that red turtleneck anywhere. Cree, who was sitting beside me, had to stop my head from twisting backwards for the eleventy-hundreth time in search of it.

"Don't worry," she said. "He'll show up."

But I wasn't so convinced.

Before I could fret any longer, Soopreme Leader Numbuh 100 entered and approached the podium.

"Kids Next Door rules!" he cried out, throwing his fist into the air.

Every voice and hand in the room repeated the greeting loyally.

Numbuh 100 smiled. "I am pleased to announce the kids who will are about to become our newest operatives! Now let's begin..."

But he never got the chance.

Dozens of Teen Ninjas burst into the room, poised to attack. In seconds, the assembly room transformed into a battle field.

I leaped out of my seat and turned to my sister, only to find that she was no longer at my side. Knowing Cree, she probably went straight into the thick of the fight as soon as she could.

I raced to the door to block off any stragglers, where I was met up with the cadets.

"Orders, Numbuh 5?" asked Hoagie.

I was just about to command them to start fighting when my eye caught onto a few teenage-sized shadows moving down the hall outside. I signaled for the others to follow my lead.

I could feel my heart pounding so hard, I was afraid that the teens would hear it. My blood pressure increased with each step, and I found my eyes darting this way and that anxiously. So not surprisingly, I nearly jumped out of my skin when an unfamiliar hand grasped my shoulder. At my startled shout, we all turned and pointed our guns directly in the face of...

"Nigel?" I asked, astounded.

"Hey," the boy replied awkwardly. He suddenly became very interested in his shoes. "I wasn't going to come, but then I realized I wouldn't be much of a friend if I was too caught up in my own failure to be happy for your guys's success. I arrived just as the fight got started."

He looked up at this point, eyes begging for forgiveness. To answer him, I put a finger to my lips and motioned for him to come along.

The shadows led us to the computer room, deserted on account of the ongoing battle. I arranged the others into formation, but then paused a moment to take in what was about to happen.

This would be our first time working together as a team. Now we would see if I had made the right calls in recruiting these kids. I turned to face the door, absolutely confidant that I had done just that.

"We're ready," I said. And with that, I pushed my way inside.

But the moment I did, I instantly regretted it.

There were three figures in the room. Two of them were guarding: one tall and lanky, the other short and stocky. But my attention was instantaneously drawn towards the slender, medium-height third, working furiously at the head computer.

It was Cree.

Upon hearing the commotion we had caused, the older girl swiveled around in her chair so she could look directly at us. When she spoke, however, her words were directed only to me.

"Hey sis," she said. Despite the evil smirk that was painful to see upon my sister's face, she spoke as though we were back at the Treehouse. Back when we were on the same side.

The shock of it all immobilized both my body and mouth.

Cree rose to her feet. "What's the matter, Abby?" she asked with mock concern. "Did you really believe that I would just let a bunch of stupid little brats take away all my memories?"

It broke my heart when I realized that she already sounded exactly like a teenager.

Nigel was quick to defend me. "No, but she did think that the last thing you would ever do was betray the Kids Next Door."

There was an immediate chorus of responses:

"Why would you wanna be a cruddy teen anyway?"

"You're just a big meanie! Can't you see how much you're hurting your sister's feelings?"

"I thought you wanted to go out with me..."

Cree finally couldn't take it. "Would you all just SHUT UP?"

She spoke with such vehemence that the kids actually obliged.

"Now then," she continued, strapping some strange device to the computer. "We're going to leave with this list of operatives turning thirteen this year." The sneer returned to her face. "Gotta know who our options for new recruits are. The bomb here is going to blow in less than thirty seconds, so you _kids_ better clear out and let us by. Understand?"

Probably the most annoying thing about teenagers is that they think they have the right to tell us what to do.

I willed myself to make a move, a sound, anything. But I still couldn't do it. How could I bring myself to fight my own sister?

Fortunately for us all, Nigel took control of the situation.

He blocked the exit just as Cree and the other two teens were about to enter it.

"Kids Next Door..." he said. "BATTLE STATIONS!"

And thus, history was made.

The words were like a magic spell that freed me from my stupor. With one great big flip, I flew over to the machine and ripped off the bomb. I hurriedly checked the timer to see how much was left before the explosion.

"Five!" I announced, throwing it to Wally.

He dived after the bomb, catching it like a football before skidding to the ground. He followed my example in checking the time.

"Four!" Wally yelled as he chucked it towards Kuki.

At first, I thought he had overthrown it. But then with a very spiderman-like effect, the girl bounded onto one wall, then the other, almost hitting the ceiling as she caught it neatly by the fingertips.

"Three!" Kuki squealed. She swiftly tossed it to Hoagie.

The nerd used his single moment with the bomb to show off as much as possible. He attempted to do a series of tricks, but mostly just fumbled, almost dropping it. He eventually simply excepted defeat.

"Two!" Hoagie cried, and with one final under-the-leg pass, the bomb landed in Nigel's hands.

The boy quickly shoved the bomb into the arms of one of the stunned teens.

"One," Nigel said with a sly smile. Then we all darted for cover.

After a large boom, we peeked up from our various hiding spots to find zit-cream covered teenagers.

If you have ever had the displeasure of experiencing this stuff in your eyes, then you'll know that it's no picnic. The two guys screamed bloody murder as they tried wiping it away. But then I noticed that a certain amateur teen was not among them.

I left the other four to deal with the blinded teens as I chased my sister down. I knew Cree better than anyone, so it didn't take long for me to find her, about to enter an escape pod. I pinned her shoulders to the wall.

"Why'd you do it?" I accused, tears filling the corners of my eyes despite myself. "You were more devoted to the Kids Next Door than anyone. I looked up to you, Cree; you were the one who inspired me to join the KND in the first place! After all we've been through together... how could you?"

Cree was appalled. "How could _I_?" she asked incredulously. "How could _they_? I've put my life into this organization for the past six years. What makes them think they can take all that away from me?"

I didn't know how to answer her.

"It's all pointless, Abby," Cree persisted. "The KND gets small victories here and there, but they're so insignificant when you look at the big picture. Whatever you do, the adults will always be bigger and better. And it'll be only a matter of time before we join them."

She laughed bitterly. "Honestly, I think I did Nigel a favor by... _arranging_ to have him fail his exam."

I was completely shell-shocked. "It was you?"

"I've gotta give you credit, Abs; you really hit the jackpot with that kid," she said. "The others will be easy enough to handle, but Nigel's just too good. But believe me, Abby, it's better this way. Ultimately, even he wouldn't have been able to make much of a difference."

Anger boiled up inside of me, bubbling higher and higher until it was all ready to spill out of my mouth. I tugged my sister down by her shirt until her face was level with mine.

"You know what, Cree?" I told her. "You're wrong. Dead. Wrong. It doesn't matter if in the long run, we never win. It doesn't matter if we eventually have to grow up. What matters is if right here, right now, we are making the world a bit better for kids everywhere. Because sometimes it actually is the small things that can change a child's life: staying up a little later, getting a little less homework, having a little longer recess. And if we can do that, then no matter how old we get, we will always remain a kid."

There was a lingering silence after my speech. Then, for just a moment, I saw a glimpse of the old Cree as she flashed through my sister's eyes. But as soon as it had arrived, it was gone again.

With a mighty shove, Cree pushed me to the ground. "Whatever," she said. She almost sounded bored.

Then with the paper of top secret KND info clutched in her hand, my sister vanished into the pod.

I probably could have done something as Cree launched herself into oblivion. But I didn't. Just as the space vehicle disappeared from sight, I knew that Numbuh 11 also was gone forever.

I decided to return to the lab room, where the others were tying up their adversaries. As I quietly looked on, my focus suddenly turned to the head computer.

The Sooper Big Computermabob was still on; the teens must not have bothered turning it off, since they thought it was going to be destroyed. That computer had access to any data in the KND: operative info, mission specs, Kids Next Door Entrance Exam grades...

As I glanced over at Nigel, I could almost hear the light bulb clicking on in my head.

"Good work guys," I said. "Now go turn these guys in to Numbuh 100."

After they had left, I cautiously approached the gigantic screen. I knew that I must have been breaking at least a dozen rules by doing this, and getting caught could easily lead to decommission. But what scared me even more was the thought of Nigel not being on the team.

So I drew up a chair and began to type.

**~0~0~0~**

Apart from the minor detail of getting attacked by an army of teenagers, the Graduation ceremony went on without a hitch.

I can't even describe the pride I felt as the name Beatles was called to enter a sample of his DNA-in other words, a booger- into the KND Code Module. Then Gilligan. Then Sanban. Then finally, Uno (Nigel's expression when Numbuh 74.239 burst in, announcing that there had apparently been a fluke when the computer system calculated his grade: priceless).

But my mission wasn't over yet.

At the after party, I found the four operatives in different areas of the room, getting to know their new comrades. First, I pulled aside the vertically challenged, agressive Australian.

"Hey Numbuh 4," I greeted. I loved being able to call him that. "I've got a little something to help prepare you to beat the crud out of those adults."

Numbuh 4 grabbed the box out of my hands and practically tore it to pieces out of excitement. Inside, he found a pair of boxing gloves.

Not the most sentimental gift, I know, but that's okay. Numbuh 4's not really the sentimental type.

"Thanks!" he exclaimed. Then with a nice high-five, I set out after the green-sleeved, cheerful Asian.

"Congrats, Numbuh 3," I said as I handed her a gift as well.

The girl screamed in delight as soon as she had uncovered her present.

"It's a Yummy-in-the-Tummy-Surprise Rainbow Monkey!" she screeched. She showed it to the My-First Rainbow Monkey beside her. "This is your new bestiest friend ever! You'll have so much fun together-"

"Hang on girl," I cut in with a laugh. "Open up the secret compartment in the stomach, and you'll find a little bonus."

When the girl did so, she discovered a vast assortment of tiny 2x4 weaponry: explosive marbles, licorice whips, and the like.

"It's quite incredible, really," I explained evasively. "This thing may look harmless on the outside, but there's so much more to it, if you take a closer look."

When Numbuh 3 met my eyes, I knew she understood that I wasn't just talking about the stuffed animal. She didn't say a word, but she didn't need to. Her smile told me everything.

Next, I sought out the nerdy-looking, joker American. His gift consisted of an aviator's hat with matching goggles.

"Every pilot needs a helmet," I said with a smile.

The boy stared at it in awe. "It's just about perfect," he said. "But it needs one last thing."

The geek pulled a marker from his pocket and labeled his gift with a large 2 on the front. He then proceeded to slip the hat over his auburn hair, placing the goggles on top of his big blue eyes.

"What do ya think?" Numbuh 2 asked teasingly as he struck a pose.

I had to laugh. "Couldn't have made it better myself."

Lastly, I found the bald, dedicated Brit.

"Do you remember what I told you the day I recruited you, Numbuh 1?" I asked him.

The new agent chuckled. "The part when you made fun of my clothes, or my hair?"

"Neither," I answered, trying to control my own laughs. "I mean when I said that all you needed to complete you cliché cool look was some shades."

Numbuh 1 smiled at me. "Of course I remember, Abby."

"Well then," I said as I placed something into his hands. "There you go."

Numbuh 1 stared down at the pair of small, black sunglasses resting on his palms.

He looked up at me inquisitively. "Have you ever heard of the legend of Numbuh 0?" I asked him.

The bald boy shook his head.

"All the children of the world were once suppressed under the rule of Grandfather, forcing them to work in his tapioca factories," I told him. "But then Numbuh 0 stumbled upon the book of KND. It told of a time when kids were free from the tyranny of adulthood. So Numbuh 0 donned some sunglasses and led the revolution that began the Seventh Age of the Kids Next Door."

Numbuh 1 was completely engrossed by the time I had finished my tale.

"Is it... true?" He asked, in a voice barely above a whisper.

I folded my arms across my chest. "You tell me."

Numbuh 1 thought a moment. "I believe it is," he declared. "And some day I'll find this Book of KND so I can write my own story in it."

I couldn't help but shake my head a little. What were the chances of that happening?

"There's one more thing you should know," I said. I leaned over and tapped on the shades. "Because of Numbuh 0, sunglasses are traditionally the sign of a Sector Leader."

Numbuh 1 gasped."But I thought you-"

"Numbuh 5 doesn't want to anymore." I stated firmly.

Freezing up during the battle earlier showed me that I wasn't cut out to run the team. Besides, being Sector Leader would make me feel too much like my sister, and all I wanted at that time was to forget about her.

Numbuh 1 studied me closely. "Are you sure?"

I took the sunglasses from his hands and slid them onto his face.

"Positive," I replied.

I took a step back to admire my work. "You know, Nigel," I remarked. "This is probably the coolest you've ever looked."

Numbuh 1 simply smiled.

Just then, we were interrupted by an announcement.

"Party's over," Numbuh 100 said. "We need to do a surveillance check on the Moon Base's security system."

Every eye in the room stared at the Soopreme Leader skeptically. Finally, he added sheepishly, "Plus my bedtime's at 8:30."

As the room began to empty, all five members of Sector V gathered together. I nodded for our new leader to give the order.

Numbuh 1 stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Kids Next Door," he commanded. "Let's get back to the Treehouse."

And that's when our adventures really began.

**So guess what? I LIED! This story isn't finished yet. I have a short epilogue written, which I shall publish tomorrow. Then it'll be over, I promise. **


	7. Epilogue

**This is it. I've spent a lot of time on this, so thanks to all of you who've stuck with this story all the way through- especially you, nienerz, for your awesome reviews! I guess this is good-bye then (except not really; I'm planning on writing much more in the future). Stay strong, and stay young.**

So you see, what Cree said to me all those years ago about keeping my mind open proved to be true. Each of the kids I recruited showed that there was more to them than what met the eye:

Wally's initial cowardly appearance quickly melted away, and he's now one of the most fearless people I know.

Kuki's airhead disposition actually masks a truly observant, intelligent girl.

Hoagie's tendencies to (badly) joke around is, when necessary, replaced by a more serious side of him.

And Nigel's ego disappeared about the same time as his hair, revealing a selfless drive in which he would do anything for sake of the cause.

It's amazing how we're all so different, yet we worked so well together. And Numbuh 5 thinks that's the thing that set the Sooper Sector apart from everyone else. Individuality is what makes a great team.

A lot has changed since then. Nigel... mysteriously disappeared when we were all ten years old. But just before he did so, he returned the sunglasses that I had given him.

Now that I'm Soopreme Leader, those famous shades rest in Hoagie's hands. Despite us working in different fields now, I still drop in from time to time to hang out with my friends. Uh, I mean to collect important, classified data for the KND Sooper Secret Files. Right.

It's pretty fitting that today I'm writing of the height of my career, for this marks my final day as both a Kids Next Door operative and a child. And in the coming months my teammates, one by one, will follow.

Am I scared? Absolutely. But I am not my sister; I'm going to go through with it, to the very end. And who knows? Maybe it won't be over after all.

So here ends the story of our roots. Roots that someday would grow into a tree.

**END TRANSMISSION**


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